CAUTION URGED IN BERMITE CLEANUP PLAN FOR THE WORST, CITIZENS GROUP SAYS.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Members of the Citizens Advisory Group say city officials should temper their enthusiasm about a North Carolina firm's plans to clean and develop the defunct Bermite explosives factory.

The City Council is weighing whether to approve an agreement that would launch a two-year effort to revamp the plan to build 2,911 homes on the contaminated property near the Santa Clarita Metrolink Station on Soledad Canyon Road.

``I'm cautiously optimistic, but the devil's in the details,'' group Chairwoman Connie Worden Roberts said of Cherokee Investment Partners' plan to buy the 996-acre property in the center of city.

Other group members urged city officials to exercise sober judgment and plan for the worst-case scenario, in order to ensure the cleanup project does not stall, possibly allowing pollution in the Saugus Aquifer to spread and contaminate more wells. Five have already been shut down.

``This project should be approached with downright fear and respect,'' said group member Valerie Thomas. ``We should have a doomsday plan in place.''

Group members also called for the city to commission comprehensive environmental studies of the new land use plan and to protect sensitive habitats on the hilly property.

The property should be developed in a way that drives economic development in the Santa Clarita Valley, perhaps through a convention center or hotel, said group member John Grannis.

Councilwoman Laurene Weste concurred, saying Cherokee's involvement gives Santa Clarita a chance to plan what the center of the city should look like.

``We get to decide what we want to be when we grow up,'' Weste said earlier this week.

Some council members have touted Cherokee as the city's best chance of getting the property cleaned up quickly. Company officials believe the effort will take three to four years and cost about $65 million to rid the property of unexploded ordnance waste and dozens of toxic chemicals left over from decades of work by contractors for the U.S. military.

``It would be tragic if we didn't seize this opportunity to solve this problem,'' Councilman Bob Kellar said earlier this week. ``I'm convinced Cherokee would be a good partner with the city.''

In addition, state officials believe perchlorate, a byproduct of rocket fuel used at the site, leeched into the area's groundwater and created a plume of contamination that threatens the Santa Clarita Valley's back-up water supply.

The cleanup of the groundwater is expected to take decades, according to water agency officials.